Weekly Portland Trail Blazers video highlights and analysis – Week 2

Week 2 Video Breakdown

They faced Sacramento twice in a home-and-home mini-series, and they finished the week with a 2-1 record, bringing them to 4-2 on the year.

As good as Portland looked against the Kings, it became clear that they’re just not on the same level as the Rockets. They’re inbetween the basement and the ceiling of a tough Western Conference, and the hope is that they can make a move toward the top sooner rather than later.

Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers couldn’t slow down James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

Nov. 5 vs. Houston Rockets

The Rockets are one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the entire Association, and the Blazers found that our in their first game of Week 2.

On the night, the Blazers gave up 116 points to their opponents, allowing James Harden to score 33 along the way. The team was also dominated on the glass, losing that category by 17 when it was all said and done.

As difficult as it was for Portland to stop the Rockets’ high-powered attack, it managed to find solid scoring productions out of its own top three scorers. Damian Lillardled Rip City with 22 points, LaMarcus Aldridgescored 21 of his own and Wesley Matthewscontinued to make it clear who the No. 3 scorer is with 19 of his own.

Portland gave up 19 fast-break points and 54 points in the paint, which ultimately proved to be the difference maker.

Nov. 8 vs. Sacramento Kings

The Blazers and their fans knew coming into this one that they would have a much lighter load on the defensive side of the floor. Sacramento is in the bottom 10 of the league in points per game, and if Portland could get to 100 points, it would have a great shot at coming away with a victory.

As it turned out, that game plan held true, and the team walked away with its third double-digit win of the year.

On the night, Portland gave up just 91 points to the lowly Kings. That said, defending the paint continued to be a problem, as Sacramento recorded 40 points in that category, and big man DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 35.

On the bright side, Joel Freelandshowed why he has earned the backup center job over Meyers Leonard. He recorded two blocks on the night, and took smart shots in his 17 minutes of action.

Nov. 9 @ Sacramento Kings

Up to this point in the year, the Blazers had been shooting the lights out from behind the arc. They entered the game as the No. 8 team in the league in three-point shooting, knocking down 41 percent of their attempts.

During this contest, they knocked down 45 percent of their shots from downtown. Wesley Matthewsproved once again that he can hit an array of shots whether they be step-backs, spot-ups or wide open jumpers, as he nailed three of his five shots from three-point land.

The Blazers once again took down Sacramento by double digits. A 96-85 victory pushed them to 4-2, and now they must prepare for the Detroit Pistons Monday night at the Moda Center.

LaMarcus Aldridgeled the way with 22 points, and he pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds in the process.